Amos 5

1 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, [even] a lamentation, O house of Israel.

Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:

2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise! she is forsaken upon her land; [there is] none to raise her up.

“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

3 For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out [by] a thousand shall leave a hundred, and that which went forth [by] a hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

For the Lord GOD says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 For thus saith the LORD to the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

5 But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to naught.

but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

6 Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Beth-el.

Seek the LORD, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness on the earth,

You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!

8 [Seek him] that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shades of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: JEHOVAH [is] his name:

Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name,

9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading [is] upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate [from their right].

For I know how many are your offences, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.

13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an evil time.

Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that the LORD, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16 Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing [shall be] in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing.

17 And in all vineyards [shall be] wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says the LORD.

18 Woe to you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end [is] it for you? the day of the LORD [is] darkness, and not light.

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.

19 As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

20 [Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Won’t the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

22 Though ye offer me burnt-offerings and your meat-offerings, I will not accept [them]; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 Have ye offered to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name [is] The God of hosts.

Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Armies.